Bluebells
by everworld2662
Summary: Howl's Moving Castle. [HowlAbdullah] [Oneoff] [Slash] Don't like, don't read. Post CitA.


Bluebells

A/N: Slashy one-off. Howl/Abdullah. _goes red_ Don't look at me like that! **:) Halloween special.**

The Royal Wizard Howl was a younger man than Wizard Suliman, and a good deal more elegant. He was richly dressed in a suit of mauve satin, against which his hair showed a rather improbable shade of yellow. Abdullah stared at the wizard's light eyes in the wizard's bony face. He had seen those eyes clearly, one morning. He felt he should have guessed.

The sweet scent of flowers wafted around them as they walked further down the path. Abdullah found himself jiggling rather as he walked. He was wearing a pretty, golden jacket with the artistic twirls and twists in which was hidden money. Abdullah had spent the entire morning wondering what to wear to meet the wizard, and then trying to remember how to access the secret pockets full of coins. He had not been able to remember, so the coins jangled up and down at each step, making an appalling noise and causing the wizard to glance at him dubiously every five minutes or so.

The jiggling was accompanied by the shifting sound of Abdullah's shoes on the dusty path, and, of course, the stern, firm, somehow dashing sound of Howl walking confidently up and down in his beautiful boots.

That was one thing that, it appeared, Howl and Abdullah shared. A love and respect for fine clothing. Abdullah was not one to dress up, but he found himself admiring the style of the patterns the Royal Wizard often took to wearing. They reminded him somehow of his days as the simple but happy carpet merchant.

"So you want bluebells, is that it?" Howl turned amiably towards Abdullah. The pleasant little walk stopped abruptly. Abdullah felt somehow apprehensive.

"Indeed I was hoping you would be kind enough to bestow your grace upon this unworthy, un-flourishing garden, king-amongst-wizards."

"Well, it doesn't look un-flourishing to me," Howl snorted. He turned away for a moment to cast an eye over the gardens. "But why on _earth _do you want bluebells?"

"Oh," Abdullah said, blushing slightly. "Does it matter awfully, O-wizard-of-the-King?"

"Not particularly," Howl returned with a shrug. "Just curious." He looked away from Abdullah, perhaps sensing how uncomfortable he was, and continued walking at a brisk pace.

Abdullah followed Howl with his eyes and he broke into a short jog to catch up.

The man was tall, he reasoned. Lean, but not skinny. Like Flower-in-the-Night! He thought suddenly. Cursing himself for this sudden revelation, he glanced hesitantly at Howl once again and felt decidedly guilty. Then he chastised himself for feeling so. Why should he not admire the man? Was he the Royal Wizard, or not? But somehow Abdullah knew that his feeling of admiration had nothing to do with that.

Looking at Howl reminded him so much of Flower-in-the-Night that he almost immediately started feeling guilty again. Why should he compare this man to his beloved? No, Abdullah hastened to assure himself. My heart belongs to Flower-in-the-Night. But then, he mused nervously, why are you assuring yourself of the fact?

Abdullah looked up and wondered if it was possible to get any further away from the wizard on this narrow path. He discovered soon after that it was not so, and fell abruptly over a small garden bench, sending him windmilling onto the grass and over the stone fountain edge.

A heavy splashing and cursing made Howl look up. In a few brisk strides, the wizard was standing by the fountain looking ruefully down at Abdullah. The latter was sat squarely down in the fountain, drenched in water, looking quite bewildered.

"Perhaps," Howl said teasingly, "You are not ready to have fountains in this garden yet, Abdullah?"

"Hardly!" Abdullah protested with a gasp, too wet to be much polite. "I simply missed my step, oh-most-magnificent-wizard."

His hands felt around him on the harsh stone for coins, which had, of course, taken the opportunity to leap out of his pocket and into the water.

"Here," Howl said suddenly. "Let me help."

Abdullah stared aghast at the wizard, expecting any moment for a polished boot to step into the fountain. Then he saw Howl's extended hand and its dangling silver sleeve and felt decidedly foolish.

"I thankyou, kind-caster-of-spells!" He choked out, feeling himself blush heavily as Howl helped him up.

Abdullah staggered onto the grass, gasping a bit, water running off him in a steady downpour. It was impossibly difficult to move in these waterlogged clothes. He glanced up and saw Howl's amused smile.

"Come now, let us think of bluebells? Oh, where _is_ Sophie? She promised she'd be here to help!" Howl's smooth smile changed swiftly into an irritated look. Abdullah rather started back.

"Are you speaking of Madame Sorceress, the former-formidable-feline?" He said, a little perplexed. "Oh, I am _soaked_!"

Suddenly, he felt a gentle wind pick up about him, billowing his stretched clothes a bit. It gathered a little further off, and in one warm gust, swept over him, drying him out instantly. Abdullah blinked slightly.

Howl smirked.

"I thankyou!" He babbled after a moment. Then an expression of confusion passed over his face. "And concerning the bluebells…surely we do not _need_ the-magnificent-witch?"

Howl raised an eyebrow and Abdullah found himself wishing he had not stressed the 'need' so awfully. He went on, hastily,

"What I mean to say, oh-most-marvellous-foreign-wizard-"

"_-foreign?_" Howl puzzled.

"-is that it was in my knowledge that stronger magic could be worked easier on Halloween." Abdullah amended.

"Halloween?" Howl sounded quite perplexed. "What is this 'Halloween'?"

"Halloween, Samhain, All Hallow's Eve!" Abdullah pressed.

"Soul's Day!" Howl exclaimed, clapping a hand to his waist. "I'll be damned! Of _course_! Why didn't _I _think of that?" In a flurry of a silver sleeve and blond hair, Howl turned and began to stride off. Abdullah ran after him rather, tripping over roots and calling.

"Oh-most-magnificent-wizard! Oh-Royal-weaver-of-spells! Oh-excellent-caster-of-enchantment! Oh…oh _Howl_!"

The figure stopped, and turned slightly. A perplexed and dashing smile was on his face.

"Do you want these bluebells or not?" Howl asked. "If you do, then come _on_, we don't have all night!"

Abdullah hastened after him, gasping. "Is it because," he inquired between breaths. "All magic ends at midnight?"

"Or something like that," the wizard agreed a trifle absently. "Ah, _there_!"

There was a gentle clearing just ahead. The sound of running water could be heard rushing underneath. The grass was wonderfully fresh.

"What enchantment is this, oh-creator-of-most-excellent-magical-remedies?" Abdullah gasped in wonder.

"That would be an apothecary," Howl said with a slight frown. "And there _is _no enchantment. There never is for _most _things, and yet people insist-!" He broke off suddenly and glanced at Abdullah.

"Are we near a mill?" Abdullah inquired.

"You could say as much," Howl said shortly. He strode around the clearing, bending down to pick up things once in a while. It was late and it was difficult to see now that they had broken away from Abdullah's garden. "The small river flows underneath, in a tunnel."

Abdullah thought this to be a wonderful idea, but he could not see the point in squinting dubiously at certain plants.

"Should I go get a lantern?" He asked. "The garden is not far off, oh-most-magnificent-!"

"No no," Howl cut him off, sounding impatient. "No, it doesn't matter."

He continued his walk, muttering under his breath, feverish with the prospect of doing magic. After a small while Abdullah stopped following him and simply watched.

"I would pay you," he said finally as Howl came up to him smiling with success. "But I am afraid I lost many of my coins in the fountain, and I no longer have a sufficient amount."

"Pay me!" Howl snorted. "What on earth for? You're doing the magic here."

"_What_?" Abdullah demanded. "But…but I cannot! Surely the-great-wizard wishes to jest?"

"No jest," Howl said a trifle impatiently. "Come on, help me plant these again."

So it was that Abdullah crawled after the wizard, planting the strange flowers all around the clearing in a circle. It only took a few minutes, but it was difficult because of the dark. Several times, Abdullah voiced again his thought of getting a lantern, but Howl always brushed it aside.

He _would_, Abdullah thought a moment later as he sat on the wet grass and watched admiringly as Howl scrawled strange, five pointed stars on the ground and muttered enchantments under his breath. The moon had swung out now and it lit Abdullah's strange smile handsomely. Howl, too, looked handsome in the moonlight. His hair looked like spun gold and the silver in his suit shone deliciously. Abdullah found himself staring as the figure moved around the clearing with a frightening certainty.

After a moment, Howl turned his face towards Abdullah's and the blue of his eyes twinkled like crystals on his bony face.

"There," he said.

Abdullah scampered to his feet. "But I didn't do anything!" He protested.

"Yes you did," Howl said impatiently. "And now, at midnight, this clearing will be full of bluebells."

"Oh," said Abdullah, a bit disappointed. "But I wanted the bluebells a bit everywhere." It sounded foolish even to his ears.

"You can plant them again," Howl said, and Abdullah thought he saw the eyes flash a little bit dangerously. "And they will grow fast and bloom during all the seasons in the year."

Abdullah felt himself glow with pleasure. "Thankyou," he said sincerely.

The wizard glanced at him. "That's quite alright," Howl said, unusually gently. "Now shouldn't you be getting back to Flower-in-the-Night now?"

Abdullah felt his grin fading. He could see what Howl meant. He nodded wanly and began to turn away, but suddenly Howl caught his shoulder. He was smiling sheepishly.

"Unless," he said, "you'd like to stay and see how the bluebells turn out?"

"I'm sure," Abdullah said carefully, "That Flower-in-the-Night will not miss me if I am gone for a few more minutes."

Howl nodded soberly. Abdullah said nothing after a moment. They hung there, waiting, until something strange seemed to happen to Abdullah's eyes.

A brilliant ray of light shone from the moon and Abdullah caught onto Howl's silver sleeve.

"Is it midnight yet?" He asked eagerly and Howl laughed and the two of them fell onto the clouds of bluebells, laughing sweetly and inhaling the crushed musk.

A/N: Please read and review, this took me a while! My head hurts now…:( Awwww! Send me cookies and milk in your reviews please! Happy Halloween everyone! And if you do not like it, please do not flame because of the pairing. Glares. If you don't like the pairing, tough. I _know _Howl loves Sophie and that Abdullah loves Flower-in-the-Night! But it is very possible to love two people at once! Thankyou and R&R please!

xxx


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